Upcoming Events
Dissertation Dish
LEAD California, IARSLCE and GivePulse are proud to announce our next speaker:
Dr. Shilohna Phillanders
Moderator: Claire Mc Cann is currently Chair-elect of the Graduate Student Network of IARSLCE and a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford.
About our Next Speaker: Dr. Shilohna Phillanders is an internationally recognized educator, practitioner- scholar, and educational consultant whose work centers on service-learning, critical pedagogy, and socially responsive community engagement. Grounded in a commitment to social justice, her research and practice center on empowering learners and educators to interrogate and transform systemic inequities through experiential and community-rooted approaches. Guided by her commitment to equity and empowerment, Dr. Phillanders is laying the groundwork for a consultancy initiative that supports educators in emergent regions like the Caribbean, in embedding justice-centered, community-rooted pedagogies into transformative teaching and learning practices.
Dr. Phillanders holds a PhD in International Comparative Education from Beijing Normal University, China, and earned both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in International Relations and Global Affairs, respectively from The University of the West Indies. She also holds professional certification in NGO Professional Management, equipping her with cross-sectoral insight into community-based organizational leadership.
Her scholarship and practice focus on empowering learners through transformative, experiential education that addresses the root causes of systemic injustice, particularly within the Caribbean and other emergent regions. Dr. Phillanders has lectured at the university level in China with guest lectures in the Philippines, designed interdisciplinary curricula, and led international student engagement initiatives, all while advancing critical conversations around equity, identity, and power in education.
An advocate of qualitative and participatory methodologies, her expertise includes autoethnographic research, educator development, and student-centered support services. Among her scholarly contributions, one of her most personally meaningful is a chapter in the award-nominated volume Caribbean Quality Culture, Persistent Commitment to Improving Higher Education (2021) where she explores the transformative potential of service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) to enhance and support quality education in contexts such as the Caribbean, through asset-based approaches. Dr. Phillanders’ work is grounded in the belief that education must be a catalyst for liberation. With her commitment to critical scholarship and deep community partnerships, she continues to educate, engage, and empower; guiding institutions and individuals alike to imagine and enact more just futures.
Title: Echoes Between Us: Introducing Echo-Autoethnography as a Reflexive Method for Critical Pedagogy and Community Engagement
Abstract: This presentation introduces echo-autoethnography, a reflexive research methodology developed through my doctoral study in service-learning and community engagement (SLCE). Emerging at the intersection of critical pedagogy and narrative inquiry, echo-autoethnography expands traditional autoethnography by positioning the researcher-self not as a solitary source of meaning, but as a site reverberating with the echoes of community voices, collective memory, and the ethical tensions of engaged scholarship. Developed through my experience as a Caribbean practitioner-scholar navigating transnational academic terrains, this method captures the layered interplay of power, place, and positionality in shaping educational research. Echo-autoethnography centers relationships between self and others; between researcher and community, as foundational to knowledge production. It provides space to interrogate complicity, agency, and transformation, offering a justice-oriented alternative to extractive research practices and affirming reflexivity as essential to community-engaged pedagogical work.
Demystifying Service Learning and Community Engagement Methodologies
This interactive workshop is designed to support faculty, staff, students and community partners in gaining clarity and confidence in using service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) as a research methodology. Participants will learn from leading scholars in the field who will share practical strategies and frameworks for designing rigorous, community-engaged research projects.
Through a guided panel discussion, attendees will explore how SLCE can advance scholarship, improve student learning outcomes, and create meaningful impact with community partners. The session will also introduce some best practices for integrating SLCE methodologies into research design and assessment.
This session is ideal for faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and community partners interested in incorporating SLCE into their teaching, research, and institutional initiatives.
Dissertation Dish
LEAD California, IARSLCE and GivePulse are proud to announce our next speaker:
Dr. Caitlin Ferrarini, Assistant Teaching Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Moderator: Erica Yamamura, Interim Executive Director, LEAD California
About our Next Speaker: Caitlin Osorio Ferrarini is a Ph.D. graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston's College of Education. She has worked in the field of global experiential learning in Colombia and the United States as a field director, student advisor, professor, and researcher. Caitlin is passionate about better understanding and improving student global and civic learning through research and practice.
Caitlin recently joined Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Global School as an Assistant Teaching Professor. She teaches a social science research methods course and advises students on project-based learning programs abroad. Her research interests include: global citizenship education; digital pedagogy; online learning; long-term student learning outcomes; community impact. Caitlin is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA).
Dissertation Topic: Examining the Potential of Online Community-Based Learning to Foster Global Citizenship Capacities in College Students: A Mixed-Methods Multi-Institutional Study
Abstract: This multi-institutional study examines the potential of fully online community-based learning to foster global citizenship in college students. A mixed-methods analysis of pre/post surveys (n = 187) and alumni interviews (n = 23) found that first-generation students participating in an online community-based learning program during the COVID-19 pandemic reported greater learning gains than their non-first-generation peers. The most influential program factor in shaping student learning and future actions was the development of trusting relationships with partner community members (i.e. mentors, peers, or community members). Recommendations include practical resources that global and civic educators can utilize in their own classrooms.
Community Conversations Special Edition: A Conversation About New and Long-Standing Challenges Our Field Is Facing
IARSLCE Members are invited to join our special session of Community Conversations, a space to bring your scholarly ideas, problems of practice, and/or desire to connect with colleagues. There's no specific agenda for these gatherings. Rather, the agenda emerges from the priorities and questions that participants bring into the space. It's a great opportunity to have thoughtful discussions and exchange resources during these challenging times. Click here for the zoom link.
Global Research Agenda at University of California San Diego
May 30, 2025 from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM PDT, In-Person at UC San Diego (USA)
This session will be a North America-focused meeting where participants will analyze and prioritize research questions that emerged from the data collection forums. actively engage in analyzing, organizing, categorizing, prioritizing a set of research questions and issues that colleagues in the field have submitted during 11 structured research data collection forums held over the last several years.
During the meeting, you will work in a small group, lending your perspectives on how best organize the research questions, what key themes the questions point to, and which themes and research questions should be prioritized. Your analysis and discussions will result in the production of the North America section of the global research agenda for service-learning and community engagement.
Register to confirm your interest in participating.
Hope as Resistance: Peer-to-Peer Dialogue on Navigating Community-Engaged Scholarship in Uncertain Times Vol. 2
Join fellow graduate students and early-career scholars for the 2nd installment of our supportive, peer-to-peer virtual dialogue series. We will share experiences, identify resources, and strategize collective responses to navigating community-engaged scholarship in uncertain times. Help shape future support efforts and our planned roundtable for IARSLCE 2025. Click here to register.
Setting a Global Research Agenda for Service Learning and Community Engagement: Data Collection
Purpose: the first of two input sessions for the Australia and New Zealand region on Wednesday, 14th of May from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM AEST. This session will focus on gathering data and identifying the research questions that should shape future studies in SLCE.
A second session will be held in June (date and time to be confirmed), where we’ll focus on the analysis of the collected data. You are welcome to join one or both sessions—your voice is valuable regardless of whether you participate in the first, the second, or both.
IJRSLCE Vol. 13 Submission Deadline
The upcoming IJRSLCE Volume 13 submission deadline is 5/1/25. Click HERE for additional information and access to the panel discussion from last spring overviewing the submission and review process.
What’s Next for CEL? Charting the Course for Transformative Change
The University of Toronto's Centre for Community Partnerships is hosting a virtual plenary panel on April 23, 2025, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. EDT, celebrating 20 years of community-engaged learning. Panelists will reflect on the future of CEL, exploring its evolving pedagogy, the challenges ahead, and how CEL can respond to global crises. Click here to register.
Public Seminar: Community Engagement in Chile: A New Generation, Conditioned Legitimacy, and Academic Capitalism
Join Dr. Matias Flores, Chair of the GradSN, for a public seminar on his dissertation Community Engagement in Chile: A New Generation, Conditioned Legitimacy and Academic Capitalism. Dr. Matias Flores' dissertation explores how a new generation of engaged scholars in Chile navigate a shifting socio-political landscape shaped by recent student movements, constitutional reform efforts, and a national mandate for community engagement accreditation by 2025. Through ethnographic methods and interviews with 52 scholars, the study reveals how these academics balance aspirations for systemic change with the pressures of academic capitalism and institutional legitimacy. Register here!
Dissertation Dish: Academic community-engaged learning and student mental health and wellness
LEAD California, IARSLCE and GivePulse are proud to announce our next speaker:
Stephanie Brewer, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning - Center for Community Engaged Learning, Michigan State University
Moderator: Diane Doberneck, Ph.D., Director for Faculty and Professional Development, Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University
About our Next Speaker:
Dr. Stephanie Brewer is the Assistant Director of Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning with the Center for Community Engaged Learning, as well as the Program Director for the Community Engagement Scholars. She works with a team responsible for developing, supporting, and advancing academic community-engaged learning at MSU. She supports faculty, students, and community partners in the creation and facilitation of these opportunities. Stephanie worked for many years as a mental health professional before making her way to the field of higher education. Stephanie holds a BS in Psychology from Central Michigan University, a MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University, and a PhD in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University.
Title: Academic community-engaged learning and student mental health and wellness: Understanding the lived experiences of undergraduate students
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences of undergraduate students who participated in academic community-engaged learning, specifically as those experiences related to student mental health and wellness. The data for this qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven undergraduate students. Analysis resulted in the identification of essential components of the student community-engaged learning experience as it relates to their mental health and wellness and included three main themes: Identity (Head), Belonging (Heart), and Agency (Hands). The implications of these findings are many, including pedagogical considerations for community-engaged classrooms, campus-wide considerations for the inclusion of high impact practices, as well as community partner implications. Ultimately, the findings of this study will lead to a better informed and nuanced, macro-level strategy that higher education institutions can use to impact the state of student mental health and wellness broadly.
Holding Space Together: Peer-to-Peer Dialogue on Navigating Community-Engaged Scholarship in Uncertain Times
This one-hour virtual peer-to-peer event hosted by the IARSLCE Graduate Student Network will provide graduate students and early-career professionals with an informal and supportive space to discuss their experiences, challenges, and needs related to community-engaged research, teaching, and practice in today's shifting academic and social landscapes. Together, we'll explore how we're navigating current pressures, identify resources needed, and strategize ways to better support one another and our community partners. Outcomes from this dialogue will help shape future resource-sharing initiatives and inform our upcoming roundtable at the 2025 IARSLCE conference in Durban. Register now!
IARSLCE Awards Committee Meeting
To join this meeting please access the zoom link here.
Global Research Agenda Meeting II
We are pleased to invite you to a special gathering focused on shaping the North America Research Agenda for the advancement of research in our field. Offered in two parts, the gathering will engage participants in analyzing, organizing, and prioritizing research questions and items that will form the North America section of IARSLCE's Global Research Agenda.
The North America regional gathering is a three-day event composed of two meetings: (Participants are welcome to attend one or both meetings):
Sunday, March 30, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Atlanta, Georgia — in partnership with Campus Compact and the Campus Compact 2025 conference. (1-day meeting)
Thursday, April 3, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM & Friday, April 4, 9:00 AM - 12:00 noon, Durham, North Carolina — in partnership with Duke Service-Learning and GivePulse. (2-day meeting.)
Lend your voices and perspectives to the research agenda. Attendance is free!
Follow this link for more information on the research agenda and how to register for the gathering.
Questions? Please contact Andy Furco at afurco@umn.edu
2025 IARSLCE Awards Nominations Due
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 IARSLCE Awards. Nominations are due by April 1, 2025 and should be submitted electronically to awards@iarslce.org. Self-nominations are welcome. All nominees will be notified of their status in April, and award winners will be recognized at the 2025 IARSLCE Conference in Durban, South Africa, August 13-15, 2025. Please help us recognize the outstanding scholars in our field by submitting a nomination!
Click here to learn more!
IARSLCE Graduate Student Scholarship Deadline
We are pleased to announce the call for applications for the IARSLCE Graduate Student Scholarship, aimed at supporting travel expenses for graduate students to attend the 2025 IARSLCE Conference in Durban, South Africa, scheduled for August 13-15, 2025.
The IARSLCE Graduate Student Scholarship aims to support graduate students who are conducting research that contributes to the advancement of the field of Service-Learning and Community Engagement (SLCE). We seek students who are committed to the mission and goals of IARSLCE and the Graduate Student Network (GradSN) and who are eager to actively participate in the conference and our ongoing activities.
Scholarship Amount
Travel within South Africa: $400 per student
International travel: $800 per student
Total funding available: Up to $4,000
Eligibility
To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must:
Be a current graduate student (MA/MS or PhD/EdD).
Commit to attending the 2025 IARSLCE Conference in Durban.
Sign the GradSN Statement of Intent if you have not already done so.
Strongly encouraged to attend monthly GradSN meetings. We meet on the first Wednesday of every month via Zoom.
Application Requirements
Applicants are required to complete the IARSLCE Graduate Student Scholarship Application Form.
Recipients Requirement
Those who receive the scholarship will be required to be IARSLCE members.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Degree of involvement with GradSN and/or IARSLCE;
Clarity and specificity of research and practice areas of interest;
Articulation of the contributions of conference attendance from the applicants;
Commitment to DEI and Global perspectives in research and practice; and
Additional contributions and comments provided in the application.
Important Dates
Application Deadline: April 1, 2025
Conference Dates: August 13-15, 2025
Global Research Agenda Meeting I
We are pleased to invite you to a special gathering focused on shaping the North America Research Agenda for the advancement of research in our field. Offered in two parts, the gathering will engage participants in analyzing, organizing, and prioritizing research questions and items that will form the North America section of IARSLCE's Global Research Agenda.
The North America regional gathering is a three-day event composed of two meetings: (Participants are welcome to attend one or both meetings):
Sunday, March 30, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Atlanta, Georgia — in partnership with Campus Compact and the Campus Compact 2025 conference. (1-day meeting)
Thursday, April 3, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM & Friday, April 4, 9:00 AM - 12:00 noon, Durham, North Carolina — in partnership with Duke Service-Learning and GivePulse. (2-day meeting.)
Lend your voices and perspectives to the research agenda. Attendance is free!
Follow this link for more information on the research agenda and how to register for the gathering.
Questions? Please contact Andy Furco at afurco@umn.edu
Town Hall: Finding your Path to Engagement in IARSLCE
Join the IARSLCE Special Programming Committee on March 11th as we gather to reflect on IARSLCE’s achievements and set the vision for 2025.
PSC application deadline
We are pleased to announce that applications to participate in the 2025 Practitioner-Scholar Community are now live. The application is due January 31st, with the cohort beginning in mid-February. The application can be found here, and to learn more about this opportunity, visit our website. The cohort will be capped at 40 participants to ensure capacity for personalized feedback and attention, and selection criteria will center on building a cohesive and committed group of practitioner-scholars with a wide variety of scholarly interests and at varying places in their careers to ensure maximum opportunity for peer learning and feedback during the experience. We look forward to receiving and reviewing applications and welcoming the next cohort to the PSC!